A small effort by the city could make the world of difference for Howard Beach residents and business owners who are fed up with trash plaguing Coleman Square, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Park) said this week.
The South Queens lawmaker recently penned a letter to city Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, requesting that additional garbage cans be placed at the Howard Beach train station in Coleman Square and that trash collection pick-ups be more frequent in the area.
“The Coleman Square Station constantly remains an eyesore for our community,” Goldfeder said. “There are simply not enough trash cans or a reliable pick-up schedule to accommodate the volume of litter that is produced in this area.”
A Sanitation Department spokesman said they received Goldfeder’s letter Wednesday and would investigate the matter.
In the letter to Garcia, Goldfeder stressed that not only is the issue an aesthetic one, but a matter of public health as well. The trash cans at the station are often overflowing – attracting birds and rats that feed on the garbage and disperse it throughout the neighborhood.
Goldfeder is not alone when it comes to these concerns, and a number of residents voiced complaints about the trash at last month’s Hamilton Beach Civic Association.
“People are urged not to litter, to place their trash in the garbage pails – but when the pails are overflowing, it winds up on the ground,” said West Hamilton Beach Civic Association President Roger Gendron. “Increased service would only help keep our neighborhood clean.”
With the arrival of summer, area residents noted that the city’s help with clearing the litter would be particularly appreciated.
“Our families deserve to live in a community where they can comfortably enjoy the summer weather outdoors without being surrounded by unsightly garbage,” Goldfeder said.
By Anna Gustafson
